The Business Office shouldn’t be involved in individual teacher, administrator, or staff evaluations. However, there are a number of reasons why the Business Manager needs to be aware of the evaluation process and how it’s conducted each year.
An effective employee evaluation process that’s conducted annually (if not more often) will provide clear evidence of why an employee is terminated. A formal review will document any performance- or behavior-based issues that the employee had been advised of and failed to improve.
The Business Office and/or HR are typically the ones to handle an accusation from a discharged employee that he or she was fired for illegal or discriminatory reasons. It will also be the job of the Business Office to manage the budgets to pay for any legal costs pertaining to a lawsuit, as well as increased D&O and/or Employment Practices Liability Insurance premiums stemming from a lawsuit payout.
A clear and well-documented evaluation process can alleviate much of the school’s risk when it comes to these types of allegations. By keeping these reviews on file, the school may be able to show ongoing reasons for why an employee was let go. Often, a legal claim or lawsuit won’t get very far before this information comes to the surface.
Once the plaintiff’s attorney becomes aware that the school possesses significant documentation, he or she may be less likely to proceed with a lawsuit. (And if legal claims don’t occur or are settled at no cost, the school's insurance premiums are much less likely to rise at significant rates.) But if the plaintiff does wish to proceed, proper documentation will help support the school's case.
The Business Office shouldn’t be involved in individual evaluations. It should, however, work closely with the School Head to ensure that the school has—and is actively using—an effective evaluation system.
The Business Office should also make sure that all reviews are kept in a secure and confidential location, whether that’s physical, online, or both. By taking care and working together, the Business Office and School Head can help protect the school from potential lawsuits and other risk-related issues.
Additional ISM Resources:
The Source for School Heads Vol. 16 No. 1 Are Your Faculty Evaluations Effective?
The Source for Academic Leadership Vol. 15 No. 4 The Six Signs of a Toxic Teacher
Additional ISM resources for Gold members:
I&P Vol. 43 No. 1 The Problem(s) With Teacher Evaluation
I&P Vol. 42 No. 7 The Toxic Teacher: Identification
